This past week, student elections took place at Utah State Eastern and students elected Dean Thacker as the new Student Body President for 2017-18. Until Thacker is sworn in, Phill Raich remains as Eastern’s student body president and reflected upon his time spent at the student helm.

About serving as student body president this past year, Raich said, “It was incredibly stressful, however, I feel as though there have been some really important issues that I was able to represent students on.” These issues include policies that affect students, fees that students pay and what they are spent on, and amenities that the university provides students.

Raich talked about changes he was not able to make that he still is working on. “I’m currently still fighting the administration’s decision to increase the library’s student fee,” he said, regarding a fee that ultimately goes straight to the Logan campus. “If I can’t get that changed, I’ll feel pretty bad.”

He says he still has some plans for the remainder t of the year. He is working with the Utah Student Association to end the stigma around mental health and try to get campuses across the state to provide more mental health support for students, staff and faculty.

Raich also has plans to help his successor prepare for the coming school year. “One year isn’t much time, but I plan to help Dean start his initiatives and prepare him for the coming year better than I was for mine.”

A piece of advice he would give to Dean for the upcoming year, he said “It’s easy to feel like you are not valued by the institution. Remember that without you, people who aren’t students would be making decisions for students without asking them.”